Madagascar

Idom art marquetry - Ambositra

Visit Ambositra for its marquetry

Travellers can discover this craft by visiting the Idom Art workshops located in the Vodihahy area. You will then discover an extraordinary workshop where Malagasy artists and craftsmen create magnificent wooden paintings. They use a wide variety of woods coming from all over Madagascar and most often from the large forest east of the city of Ambositra, renowned for its colourful woods. These are often endemic species that are naturally coloured.

Idom Art, the fine Malagasy marquetry

Idom Art was created by Dominique MASSERON, a French cabinetmaker, with the collaboration of Malagasy marquetry craftsmen. The Idom Art team is made up of 10 craftsmen supervised by Maud BRUN, the person in charge of the marquetry since the founder retired in 2015. The productions include original and unique wooden paintings, including beautifully coloured portraits, landscapes, representations of Malagasy life, posters, etc.

Beautiful marquetry creations

Development of the marquetry made in Ambositra It is always (pleasantly) surprising to see a Malagasy craftsman working: dexterity and ingenuity are the key words. The drawings on wood are cut using a mechanical wire saw whose blade has been made from scrap metal recovered from the frame of used tires. The pieces of the puzzle are then assembled, glued to a plywood core. The work is then framed, planed, scraped, sanded and waxed with natural beeswax.

The most beautiful marquetry creations of Malagasy craftsmen In case of a special order, the customer provides a photo that the craftsman will imitate. However, the craftsman’s own creations are the most original ones, revealing the richness of the author's imagination and virtuosity. The natural colours of the woods make it possible to create splendid paintings, mixing white, blue, orange, yellow, red, purple, green, grey and brown in several shades. These masterpieces are perfect souvenirs that tourists can buy: portraits, boats, rice fields, dances, markets, zebus, etc.